Next, by Michael Lewis. Norton. 236 pages. $23.95. There's been no lack of writers -- from Bill Gates on down -- eager to offer their take on the Internet "revolution" and what it all means. So many, in fact, that it makes one kind of wonder whether there's really a need for another -- especially after the clobbering Internet companies have received lately. This hasn't discouraged Michael Lewis, who in this slim book of loosely connected essays and sketches promises to explain "how the Internet boom has encouraged great changes in the way we live, work, and think."

Michael Oher wants to set moviegoers straight about his portrayal in "The Blind Side. " He was never slow, mentally or physically. He did know football from an early age. Most important, many people besides a wealthy, loving couple in the swank east side of Memphis, Tenn., helped him rise from homelessness to football stardom at Ole Miss and in Baltimore. The Ravens offensive tackle tells his story in "I Beat the Odds," written with Don Yaeger. He details his hard-knocks life before he entered Briarcrest Christian School and was mentored and then adopted by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy.

On August 17, 2008 DAVID E. LEWIS, beloved husband of the late Louise Lewis, devoted father of Estelle and Jason Lewis, dear brother of Henry Lewis, Jr., Michael Lewis, Sr., Mary Simmers, Janet Hall and Phyllis Bowen. Also survived by three grandchildren. Funeral Services will be held at the family owned Duda-Ruck Funeral Home of Dundalk, Inc., 7922 Wise Ave., on Friday at 8:30 P.M. Interment private. Friends may call Friday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. In lieu of flowers contributions to the family would be appreciated.

Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, the ebullient Memphis, Tenn., couple who made Michael Oher their third child, enrolled him at Ole Miss, then cheered him on when he became a Baltimore Raven, have collaborated on their own version of the story that became the book and the hit movie "The Blind Side. " With Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins, they've written "In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving. " Their book aims to bring the Michael Oher miracle off the big screen and back down to real life — and make sure that its message won't get lost.

Michael Oher wants to set moviegoers straight about his portrayal in "The Blind Side. " He was never slow, mentally or physically. He did know football from an early age. Most important, many people besides a wealthy, loving couple in the swank east side of Memphis, Tenn., helped him rise from homelessness to football stardom at Ole Miss and in Baltimore. The Ravens offensive tackle tells his story in "I Beat the Odds," written with Don Yaeger. He details his hard-knocks life before he entered Briarcrest Christian School and was mentored and then adopted by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy.

"Poisoning the Ivy," by Michael Lewis. M.E. Sharpe Inc. 203 pages. $27.95."Poisoning the Ivy: The Seven Deadly Sins and Other Vices of Higher Education in America" is a rant against nasty things Michael Lewis has witnessed or has been told occurred on college campuses.Yet Lewis, a professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, promises something much more grandiose, and he has cast this book as a cri de coeur, a stirring manifesto for reform, a lone temper tantrum being thrown in the wilderness, etc. etc.Leave aside that Lewis is far from alone in attacking academic life these days.

ATLANTA - The judges of a Florida appeals court could see the boy in the black man-child, the recklessness in the kid who loved TV wrestling, the testosterone-fueled stupidity in an otherwise harmless preteen. They didn't see a hardened killer. So they reversed the conviction of Lionel Tate, who was just 12 years old when he was accused of murder in the death of his 6-year-old playmate, Tiffany Eunick. Although there was no evidence that Lionel meant to kill Tiffany, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison.

The Blind Side Michael Lewis W.W. Norton / 288 pages / $24.95 The Blind Side is about big-time college football, the black inner city, the nouveau-riche white South and evangelical Christianity. Even if you have no interest in the topics individually, read the book. In Michael Lewis' hands, The Blind Side's whole exceeds its parts and dissolves its genres. It's not a jock book. It's not a sociology book. It's a storybook about modern society, ancient virtues and the power of love, money and talent to do a little good.

By Michael Sragow and Michael Sragow,michael.sragow@baltsun.com | August 28, 2009

When Michael Oher takes the field as a Baltimore Raven this fall, a national audience of readers and moviegoers even bigger than the Ravens' fan base will be cheering for him. The amazing story behind his rise to football stardom will fill the nonfiction shelves at bookstores on Oct. 12, with a new edition of Michael Lewis' powerhouse piece of nonfiction "The Blind Side." And if all goes according to plan, it will also pack movie theaters on Nov. 20, when writer-director John Lee Hancock's movie version hits theaters, starring newcomer Quinton Aron as Oher and Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw as Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy - the wealthy, white, conservative, evangelical couple who devoted themselves to the happiness and success of "Big Mike," a black kid from the meanest streets of Memphis, Tenn.

Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, the ebullient Memphis, Tenn., couple who made Michael Oher their third child, enrolled him at Ole Miss, then cheered him on when he became a Baltimore Raven, have collaborated on their own version of the story that became the book and the hit movie "The Blind Side. " With Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins, they've written "In a Heartbeat: Sharing the Power of Cheerful Giving. " Their book aims to bring the Michael Oher miracle off the big screen and back down to real life — and make sure that its message won't get lost.

Mike Singletary didn't exactly hand it to his old team. That didn't matter: Jay Cutler handed the desperate San Francisco 49ers a much-needed win. Frank Gore ran for 104 yards and a touchdown, Cutler threw a career-high five interceptions, with his last coming in the end zone on the game's final play, and San Francisco ended a four-game losing streak by beating the Chicago Bears, 10-6, on Thursday night. Niners quarterback Alex Smith won for the first time in eight starts since Week 2 in 2007, 17-16 against the St. Louis Rams - but it was interesting until the end. After Singletary decided to punt against his former team on fourth-and-6 from the Chicago 34 with 2:53 left, Cutler drove the Bears to the San Francisco 12 with 13 seconds remaining.

By Michael Sragow and Michael Sragow,michael.sragow@baltsun.com | August 28, 2009

When Michael Oher takes the field as a Baltimore Raven this fall, a national audience of readers and moviegoers even bigger than the Ravens' fan base will be cheering for him. The amazing story behind his rise to football stardom will fill the nonfiction shelves at bookstores on Oct. 12, with a new edition of Michael Lewis' powerhouse piece of nonfiction "The Blind Side." And if all goes according to plan, it will also pack movie theaters on Nov. 20, when writer-director John Lee Hancock's movie version hits theaters, starring newcomer Quinton Aron as Oher and Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw as Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy - the wealthy, white, conservative, evangelical couple who devoted themselves to the happiness and success of "Big Mike," a black kid from the meanest streets of Memphis, Tenn.

On August 17, 2008 DAVID E. LEWIS, beloved husband of the late Louise Lewis, devoted father of Estelle and Jason Lewis, dear brother of Henry Lewis, Jr., Michael Lewis, Sr., Mary Simmers, Janet Hall and Phyllis Bowen. Also survived by three grandchildren. Funeral Services will be held at the family owned Duda-Ruck Funeral Home of Dundalk, Inc., 7922 Wise Ave., on Friday at 8:30 P.M. Interment private. Friends may call Friday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. In lieu of flowers contributions to the family would be appreciated.

The Blind Side Michael Lewis W.W. Norton / 288 pages / $24.95 The Blind Side is about big-time college football, the black inner city, the nouveau-riche white South and evangelical Christianity. Even if you have no interest in the topics individually, read the book. In Michael Lewis' hands, The Blind Side's whole exceeds its parts and dissolves its genres. It's not a jock book. It's not a sociology book. It's a storybook about modern society, ancient virtues and the power of love, money and talent to do a little good.

ATLANTA - The judges of a Florida appeals court could see the boy in the black man-child, the recklessness in the kid who loved TV wrestling, the testosterone-fueled stupidity in an otherwise harmless preteen. They didn't see a hardened killer. So they reversed the conviction of Lionel Tate, who was just 12 years old when he was accused of murder in the death of his 6-year-old playmate, Tiffany Eunick. Although there was no evidence that Lionel meant to kill Tiffany, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder, and he was sentenced to life in prison.

Next, by Michael Lewis. Norton. 236 pages. $23.95. There's been no lack of writers -- from Bill Gates on down -- eager to offer their take on the Internet "revolution" and what it all means. So many, in fact, that it makes one kind of wonder whether there's really a need for another -- especially after the clobbering Internet companies have received lately. This hasn't discouraged Michael Lewis, who in this slim book of loosely connected essays and sketches promises to explain "how the Internet boom has encouraged great changes in the way we live, work, and think."

Mike Singletary didn't exactly hand it to his old team. That didn't matter: Jay Cutler handed the desperate San Francisco 49ers a much-needed win. Frank Gore ran for 104 yards and a touchdown, Cutler threw a career-high five interceptions, with his last coming in the end zone on the game's final play, and San Francisco ended a four-game losing streak by beating the Chicago Bears, 10-6, on Thursday night. Niners quarterback Alex Smith won for the first time in eight starts since Week 2 in 2007, 17-16 against the St. Louis Rams - but it was interesting until the end. After Singletary decided to punt against his former team on fourth-and-6 from the Chicago 34 with 2:53 left, Cutler drove the Bears to the San Francisco 12 with 13 seconds remaining.

"Poisoning the Ivy," by Michael Lewis. M.E. Sharpe Inc. 203 pages. $27.95."Poisoning the Ivy: The Seven Deadly Sins and Other Vices of Higher Education in America" is a rant against nasty things Michael Lewis has witnessed or has been told occurred on college campuses.Yet Lewis, a professor of sociology at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, promises something much more grandiose, and he has cast this book as a cri de coeur, a stirring manifesto for reform, a lone temper tantrum being thrown in the wilderness, etc. etc.Leave aside that Lewis is far from alone in attacking academic life these days.